Blog Challenge...

Tell about how you have influenced someone & made a difference in their life. Now, the 2nd part of this is tell about how someone has made a difference in YOUR life. The catch is that you can NOT include family members. For the final part of this challenge, I'm challenging you to let your "hero" know how they have "changed your life". You can either write them a note, make a phone call, hey, even print out your blog entry & send that to them. Just let them know.

It doesn't have to be anything BIG that someone did, sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Whatever it is, tell about it & then let that someone know.

Ok, since this week I am "hosting" the challenge, I figured I better get something on here quickly.

Since I knew my turn was coming & I knew this is what I was going to do, I've been doing some thinking about it. One of the lessons at church today was on "heros".  I thought about how coincidental that was, knowing what the challenge was going to be.  Anyway, here are my 

stories...

How did I "influence" someone's life...  Well, about 11 years ago, I was "paired up with" someone that wasn't very active in church to be a visiting teacher.  (We visit other sisters in church once a month, give a short message, & kind of, just be a friend, see if they have any needs etc.) Anyway, I had no idea who this person was, & anyone that knows me knows how hard it is for me to call & talk to someone on the phone that I don't know.  I finally stepped out of my box & called her, & called her & called her, until finally she gave in & decided to meet me so we could get our VT done.  You know something, we became the best of friends.  She has made MANY life changes throughout our friendship, & is also now very active in church & has been for years.  I can't (& won't) take all the credit for where she is now, but I also know that I had something to do with it.  I know that because of my DH & I, she left a VERY abusive relationship, that alone, makes me feel good.  I know that she & her children are safe now.

Ok, next part... How has someone "changed MY life"...  I have a couple of stories, but the one I'm going to share is about my BFF from college.  Because Jillie had a car (most of the time) we went to her house pretty often on the weekends.  Anyway, after college I went back to living with my parents & she went back to her hometown.  While at home, I met a "guy" & we "hit it off", started talking marriage etc.  Sounds pretty romantic & great huh.  Yeah, but there was 1 problem... he was a missionary for our church!  Uh, can you say OFF LIMITS!!!  It was under the advice of a wonderful mission president that I was pretty much told to leave the state. Either that, or X would have to leave.  This is where Jillie came into the picture.  Her family decided to "rescue" me & invited me to come live with them until X got off his mission.  I believe I was on a train within 2 weeks.  Had Jill & her family not extended that invitation, I'm afraid to know what X & I would have done.  I can pretty much guarantee, he would have been sent home & that is NOT good!  A lot of "life changing" things happened that year I lived in SLC & I am so thankful for such a great friend & her family.  Her family really took me in & treated me as part of their own (curfew & all) LOL!